Episode 2213: Charles and Lily Bock on fathers, daughters and missing mothers
In December 2008, Lily Bock, the daughter of the novelist Charles Bock, was born. But Bock, the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Beautiful Children and Alice & Oliver, was a reluctant parent, tagging along for the ride of fatherhood, obsessed primarily with his dream of a writing career. However, when Lily was six months old, his wife, Diana, was diagnosed with a complex form of leukemia. Two and half years later, when all treatments and therapies had been exhausted, Bock found himself a widower—devastated, drowning in medical bills, and saddled with a daunting responsibility. He had to nurture Lily, and, somehow, maybe even heal himself.
Bock’s new memoir, I Will Do Better, is about this experience. It’s a confessional about heartbreak, parenting, and, above all, his love for Lily Bock. And to discuss I Will Do Better, already named one of the best books of Fall by Oprah Daily and People, Charles is joined by the now 15 year-old Lila Bock in a memorably intimate conversation about the challenges and joys of single parenting in the 2020s.
Charles Bock is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Beautiful Children and Alice & Oliver, and a creative writing professor at New York University. The father of two daughters, he lives in New York City.
Lily Bock is many things including the daughter of Charles & Diana Bock
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Why Our Fear of Technology Is Nothing New—And Why That Should Give Us Hope: From Cuckoo Clocks to ChatGPT
Not Even God Can Judge Tupac Shakur: How a White Suburban Sportswriter Found the Humanity and Tragedy Behind Hip-Hop’s Most Misunderstood Star
Fighting to Tell the Truth: Why every Film about War is an Anti-War Film
Between the River and the Sea: American Jews and the Soiling of the Zionist Dream
The Vinci Code: How AI is Turning Everyone into James Bond
Huawei vs Ericsson: How Huawei Turned Sweden's "Neutral" Tech Advantage Into a Cold War Liability
How Smart is the MAGA Intelligentsia? The Professors, Philosophers, and Trolls who Transformed Rage into a Winning Political Ideology
This Is Not a Browser—Did René Magritte Really Predict the End of the Web Age?
The Panic of the Intellectuals: From Ezra Pound to the Trumpagies of Today
How to Choke Your Enemy: Why America Turned the World Economy into its Weapon of Global Domination
All Religions Are Absurd Because We Are Absurd: How the Internet is Creating the First New Form of Religious Community in 250,000 Years
Why the Real Road to Serfdom Runs Through Silicon Valley: Tim Wu on the Extractive Economics of Platform Capitalism
Are We Still Fighting the Hundred Years War? Why Joan of Arc, Agincourt, and the Black Death Aren't Quite Dead